August 9, 2025

A Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), thinking about checking out the nectar of Apple Mint (Mentha suaveolens) blooms.

Red Admiral adults don’t eat, but only drink. Seeking out the moisture of flower nectar, tree sap, rotting fruit, bird droppings, and wet soil to get minerals and electrolytes.

Plants in the nettle family (Urticaceae) are most often chosen as host plants for Red Admiral larvae.

A medium sized butterfly, they have a wingspan of 1.75 to 3 inches.

I often wonder why its name is not Orange Admiral.

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